


Factory Reset

by skittykitty



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Burns, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hallucinations, Heavy Angst, I planned on more of that but the Varian angst train was Too Good, Manipulation, Memory Loss, Mental Breakdown, POV Outsider, Sad Varian (Disney), Scars, Varian is a Fashion Disaster, speaking of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29043543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittykitty/pseuds/skittykitty
Summary: Varian sat up slowly, looking around the room with a soul-deep confusion. When the kid’s eyes landed on him, Eugene heard the alchemist gasp.“Are you Flynn Rider?!”When Varian sides with Rapunzel over the Saporians things take a turn for the worse.
Relationships: Andrew | Hubert & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Quirin & Varian (Disney), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44





	Factory Reset

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you [Cultivation](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cultivation/pseuds/Cultivation) for betaing this!!

“No one would ever forgive me, Rapunzel.” It was just… the truth. He had done terrible things— things no one, least of all the _princess of Corona,_ would be able to forgive him for. Her eyes stared at him, pleading for something he couldn’t give her. 

Varian turned away from the source of all his... suffering? Guilt? She was an amazing person but— but every time he saw her… she _ruined everything._

“That’s why… that’s why I have to erase your memory.” He clenched his fists, refusing to look at her. “Maybe we can be friends when your memories are gone.”

He turned with a sigh to look at the group behind him. His shoulders slumped as if weighed down. Green eyes stared into his own, assessing— picking him apart.

Of course, he had known they would hear everything he said. Of course. 

Andrew stared at him, shoulders squared. “Clementine,” he murmured, keeping eye contact with Varian. “It’s time for Plan B.”

Within seconds, the older lady had the Wand of Oblivium pointed straight at him.

* * *

Rapunzel watched him fall to the ground— watched Varian (her friend, her enemy) crumble under the magic of the Wand of Oblivium. 

He was so small— heartbreakingly so. His clothes were much too large, pooling around his unconscious body. She remembered old times from so long ago.

_Varian’s frantic need to move constantly— his desperation to impress them._

Nowadays he was much more… calculated in his movements, in his words. What happened during her journey? Had Andrew and his gang hurt him, damaged him worse than ever before?

Had her father kept his promise?

Considering… everything— all the lies and betrayals from her father— probably not. _(Considering they couldn’t remember her.)_ Varian was supposed to be better when she returned.

He was supposed to be… fixed, somehow. Less likely to kill them all based on whether or not they broke a promise. 

Well, it seemed like she would have to help Varian... if no one else would.

A few moments passed in shock. Only a shout snapped her out of her daze. 

_Eugene._

He ran in front of the gang, already fighting them off.

Rapunzel smiled. 

_Everything is going to be okay._

* * *

Varian was an odd kid, but he didn’t deserve to be left in enemy territory.

Rapunzel had tried to explain at that moment— _“Varian was betrayed, I think?”_ — but it didn’t really solve much. Why was the kid betrayed? What did he do?

(Did he snap and try to murder one of them? Kidnap their loved ones?)

But… now, they were back in the hideout. With a slow awakening, Varian sat in the corner. This could only go terribly.

Varian sat up slowly, looking around the room with a soul-deep confusion. When the kid’s eyes landed on him, Eugene saw the other’s eyes light up. “Are you Flynn Rider!?”

He chuckled, beginning to gloat about himself with all the false bravado of a young boy left alone on the streets. (Of a child struggling to survive, of someone alone.)

Rapunzel would need to hear about this new development.

* * *

Lance was put on guard duty while Eugene ran to tell Rapunzel of the current… _situation_.

Varian still looked like a _fashion disaster._ With his drawn-on goatee (that eerily reminded him of a younger Eugene), his black and red color scheme, and most of all— that _skull bandanna,_ it just wouldn’t do to let the kid get away with such a crime.

And… if he was right beside him, getting the kid some new clothes would be a much better use of time than just _waiting,_ right? 

“Hey, kid!” Varian watched the man slowly approach, obviously trying not to scare him. He wore a huge smile, surprisingly not faking it as Flynn Rider had been earlier. “Kid, I want to sneak you out to… uh…” He gestured at Varian’s chest. “Fix all of that!”

Hm. His clothes weren’t _that_ bad, were they? Dad hadn’t ever made any comments about them— and, _oh._ These… weren’t his clothes. His gloves weren’t the ones his father had gifted him. 

Nothing of his past— his cloak, his apron, they were all _gone._

Varian sighed, his curiosity (alongside some deep-seated fears) piqued.

“Alright.”

* * *

With a grin, Lance grabbed the kid’s hand. Maybe it was a mistake being so… _much_ within minutes of “meeting” him, but it was just the way he was, alright?! 

Varian flinched back as if he was hit— and maybe he had been. Maybe people had hurt him for the months they were adventuring. Maybe he was hurt long before that.

And looking at this confused, hurting child— Lance remembered himself. A small kid on the street, with everyone against him simply for _existing._

He watched Varian recover from the shock with something akin to sympathy. Lance hadn’t personally been hurt by the kid, not like Eugene and Rapunzel had been. He never saw the anger that supposedly haunted him; he only heard the tales.

But… he knew one thing.

Varian wasn’t evil.

_(Lance wasn’t evil.)_

“Hey, kid.” Lance smiled, staring into trusting blue eyes. “My name’s Lance Strongbow—”

Varian gasped, childlike glee in his eyes. “Flynn Rider’s best friend! Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re here— and real!” And, _oh,_ didn't that hurt? The characters who had been everything for him and Eugene… now were all that one scared kid would ever see him as.

Maybe it was for the best.

Maybe Arnwaldo Schnitz should be gone forever.

And maybe… maybe that was a good thing. Arnwaldo was the one who had dragged Eugene to crime— the one who had gotten Eugene wanted by all of Corona.

The one who abandoned his best friend.

For a moment, he could see someone familiar. For a moment, the short fifteen-year-old was a tiny Eugene Fitzherbert. Brown eyes stared up at him. _“Arnwaldo? Do you think anyone would ever love us?”_

Blue eyes stared at him with concern. “Lance? Are you… are you okay? I could go get someone…” Varian cut himself off as Lance leaned down onto his knees. The other still looked incredibly uncomfortable with being touched (and wasn’t that familiar) so Lance stayed there. 

He waited for Varian to choose.

After a minute of silence, Varian reached out to him. The kid’s wrist shook— even noticeable through the thick gloves— as he held Lance’s hand.

“Okay,” Lance whispered. “Do you want to go on an adventure with me, kid?”

Of course, the kid with no memory of any traumas would agree. He had just met his hero; what could go wrong? 

Well, firstly, _his fashion taste—_

“Come on, kid! It’s right around the corner!” Right before they left, he threw a blanket atop the kid. It was dark so, hopefully, no one would question why a trusted Royal Advisor was walking with _Lance_ of all people.

They entered the shop with little fanfare.

* * *

Varian giggled as Lance threw clothes all around the room. Dust floated in the air, forcing a cough out of the alchemist. 

Despite everything, he smiled. 

Lance was cracking jokes— going on and on about adventures he and his friend, Eugene, had done in their youth. In moments of silence, Lance’s face would shift ever so slightly.

Pity would show itself in the slight downturn of his smile, the way his fist clenched by his side, and how he would stare at Varian’s eyes just a little too long.

_I shouldn’t tell you this,_ he could hear the whispers coming to haunt him. _Your father is plenty protective, boy, but he can’t protect you from the real world._

The real world was… painful. It was made of chemical reactions before his father had given him gloves— of burns and tears, of no one there to help his pain.

While Lance talked, Varian slowly slipped a glove off his hand. He had little to no memories of _anyone_ he had met today. Lance and even Flynn Rider were strangers to him, but they looked at him as if he was an old friend.

And Varian _needed_ answers.

As of his last memory, his hand had a large still-healing burn on the edge. The burn looked as if it was crawling towards the center of his palm, bright red. 

Now… now, it was so much _worse._

Burns had darkened his skin to an unhealthy degree. His knuckles were a dark black, and as he clenched them by instinct he realized an unfortunate truth. Varian couldn’t feel his hand.

Varian— _the alchemist—_ couldn’t feel his hand. 

In a panic, he tore off the other glove, staring at his heavily burned hands. _What had happened?_ Had his gloves burned and gotten him injured? But, his dad would have replaced them as soon as he sensed even a whisper of danger.

_Where was his father?_

It was a question that haunted him since he woke up. Lance had watched him; Flynn Rider was by his bedside.

And… and if his father wasn’t there then—

“Varian!” Lance’s eyes stared into his own, desperation shining through. “Varian, you’re okay. Just breathe. I can… I can take you outside if you need it?”

And… oh. He hadn’t been breathing during all of that. 

The first breath was always the hardest. It came like a punch in the gut, sparking pain every time without fail.

“I…” Blue eyes stared up at Lance, desperately searching for someone to trust. “Please take me outside, sir.”

Lance looked at him for a long moment before throwing a dusty cloak at him.

The night sky was calm when Varian was a rushing tidal wave. For a moment, he could almost see bars blocking his vision before they were blinked away.

His breath puffed out in front of him, floating up slowly before disappearing. It was getting cold for autumn. 

_I’m going to make you proud, Dad._

But, no. That wasn’t right. His father wasn’t _here._ Before he could cause any more arguments with himself, Varian found himself looking out to a blizzard. 

Snow blew through the streets, locking families inside their homes. But, he was still out here... in only a _cloak._

“Varian?” Lance stood beside him, concern etched in his features. The snow had evaporated into nothing. 

Oh, god. He was hallucinating, wasn’t he?

His forehead came to rest in his hands as soundless sobs began to escape. What was he crying over? Lance crouched down in front of him, wrapping his arms around the child.

And… and he _was_ a kid at heart, wasn’t he?

Varian finally let go, allowing himself to shatter in Lance’s arms.

* * *

Varian saw the flash of green through closed eyelids. Moments later, the explosion reached them, blowing Varian’s cloak down.

The green of the explosion seemed familiar.

_“I’ll name it Flynnolium!”_

A sphere of gold floated in the sky for a few moments, before a girl began to fall to the ground.

“Lance! We need to help her!” He was already moving through the town, dodging into alleyways all off of instinct. Maybe he did have his memories, somewhere deep down. 

But that didn’t matter.

Someone’s life was on the line, and Varian might just snap if he lost someone now.

* * *

The princess was safe.

Of course she was. She was _magic!_ What couldn’t she do?

She had won against everyone on the ship single-handedly. 

But now, Varian was here alone. Lance had gone off to find Eugene and the others and Rapunzel was somewhere else. The alchemist didn’t know what to do now.

He had helped all he could.

So why did it feel like—

“Hello, Varian,” a cuffed man called. “My name is Andrew.”

Andrew smiled softly as Varian anxiously walked closer to him. Green eyes scanned him, staring particularly long at his exposed hands. “I’m sorry, Varian.” Andrew’s eyes were cold, unfeeling. His shoulders loose. “You went through so much— even for a fourteen-year-old. I’m sorry you’re going to have to go through that again.”

“Alright...” he whispered, glancing down at the burn scars around his wrists. 

Andrew hummed ambiguously for a few seconds. “I have a tip for you, Varian.” The criminal sat up, making clear eye contact with the alchemist. “Choose whether you want to remember now. Decide whether you want to start anew or continue the same life.”

His old life was long gone, held captive in the hands of Rapunzel, Lance, and _apparently_ Andrew. They all obviously knew what happened to him.

They knew how much it hurt him.

Yet, they still chose to walk away, to leave him with Andrew.

“I want to know.”

“Go home, Varian.” Andrew smiled bitterly. “Go to Old Corona.”

* * *

“Rapunzel, can you take me to Old Corona?” The Princess looked distinctly uncomfortable, staring at him oddly. _Like she had seen a ghost._ And, she probably had… seeing who he would become.

Maybe he was a terrible person, someone who had hurt her irrevocably. Maybe he was her best friend.

Varian hoped he hadn’t hurt anyone.

“Um, Varian, are you sure—” She began, before being cut off.

“Maybe we should let him,” Flynn suggested, keeping eye contact with Rapunzel and nodding towards him. “After all… uh… that’s what we’re after.” All eyes in the room stared at him, suddenly questioning everything. _Did_ they want his memories to return?

“Yes!” Rapunzel sighed, irritation lifting her shoulders. “Yes… we do want his memories back, Eugene.”

And that was the end of it.

Rapunzel continued to avoid him, Flynn tried to keep him entertained, and Lance… Lance hadn’t approached him since they had returned.

In the end, it was a week until Rapunzel took him to Old Corona. It was the two of them on Maximus.

Varian was nervous.

But, of course, when he was nervous, he _talked._

“Have you ever been to Old Corona before? Oh! It’s so beautiful! The apples are amazing during this time of year. But, then again, so are the pests— but, oh… oh! You’re just going to love it, Princess!”

Rapunzel managed a weak smile but faced away from him.

Varian spoke for most of the ride, refusing to sit in silence for the entirety.

For his final few hours left as he was— an amnesiac, free of whatever had changed him— he was almost grateful she wouldn’t speak. Rapunzel would be able to remember him as he was now. Talkative, social, desperate for validation.

When they arrived, Varian finally shut up.

Large black rocks had overtaken the town. They tore through houses, destroyed wells, and it seemed as if they had destroyed all the grass as well.

Everything seemed darker now.

“Do you want me to join you in there?” Rapunzel whispered, staring up at Varian’s home. It hadn’t been spared the rock’s wrath; in fact, it seemed like it had been hit the hardest of all the houses.

“I don’t know.” Rapunzel smiled reassuringly. “I barely know myself… come inside, but I can’t promise what I’ll do when I remember.”

Rapunzel grimaced for a moment, before sighing. “Alright.” She placed a hand on Varian’s shoulder. “Varian, before we do all of this… I just want you to know that you’re loved. Even if it hasn’t seemed like it for ages. Your father loves you and— even if you hate me— I could never truly hate you, Varian.”

He nodded, entering his home with her following close behind him.

Rapunzel quietly led him to his laboratory. It felt deathly quiet and thunderously loud at the same time. With the Princess’s sympathetic eyes alongside a scream of _“Dad— Dad, Rapunzel refused to help—”_ reverberating in his ears, it was... easy to be distracted.

Varian took a moment to remember himself, before everything. To remember his instinct for _good—_ in case everything truly was wrong.

He opened the door.

_Dad?_

_Dad?_

_No, no, no._

_They are going to pay._

_If I can’t have a happy ending, then neither can you!_

_What are you in here for, kid?_

_Join me, get your revenge._

_Varian! My most trusted Royal Advisor!_

_It’s time for Plan B._

Varian fell to the ground, tears rolling off his cheeks as he gasped. Once, the wounds had scabbed over and been able to ignore.

But now all of it was back in the sunlight. How the Princess had broken her promise, how he had been treated in prison, _Andrew,_ and now… how Andrew had betrayed him.

“Varian?” 

“Go _away,_ Princess!” He snapped, scrubbing away his tears. 

In the corner of his eye, he saw her walking towards the door. “Alright, Varian, but I’ll be right outside. And… and I have something important to tell you when you’re ready.”

The door began to creak as she opened it. “Don’t forget, Varian. We never gave up on you… so please, don’t give up on yourself.”

Rapunzel was gone.

He crawled to his father’s prison, pressing a hand to the amber. Hoping, perhaps, that he would be able to push through the amber, to feel his father’s touch again. 

Varian sobbed, surrounded by the mockery of his father’s embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a ton of fun to write!! You can find me on my [tumblr](https://skitter-kitteruwu.tumblr.com/) where you can pester me to finish half-thought out ideas and scream to me about fics!!


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